Southern California Coastal & Inland Valleys Regional Report

Midsummer Watering for Highest Yields

Continue watering and fertilizing the entire garden with a balanced fertilizer and manure tea or fish emulsion every other week or so for steady growth and food production. Foliar sprays of liquid seaweed help trees, vegetables,...
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Resources

7th Annual Tomato Tasting
Lifting Vine Crops

Harvest Often
Spread More Manure
Keep Planting Flowers
Separating Iris
Working Compost

Planting Succession Crops

Even with our true summer heat upon us, we can still be planting some seeds and tiny plants. We just have to be selective and take some extra precautions to assure success, then escape back indoors or at least into the shade with a cool drink!...
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Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale
Pantyhose for Grape Clusters

Protect Melons
Harvesting Onions and Garlic
Keeping Roses Blooming
Proper Mowing For Healthy Grass
Painting Tree Trunks

Early Summer Fruit Tree Care

If you already thinned those tiny fruits on trees and vines and left only what you realistically expect to consume, your trees will be ripening a decent crop that isn't putting too much stress on the trees, and there will be little waste. If you...
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Resources

Dave Wilson Nursery
Apple Cider Vinegar for Fireblight

Fertilize Vegetables Between Crops
Choosing Heavy-Producing Crops for Small Gardens
Prevent Corn Smut
Reducing Earworm Damage on Corn
Keep Soil Mulched

Keeping Veggies Growing

Vegetable growth moves into high gear this month, with heat-lovers thriving and setting fruit. To keep plants growing lustily and producing greater yields, feed eggplants, peppers, squash, and tomatoes when they blossom. Assure a plentiful set of...
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Culver City Garden Club Show and Plant Sale
Raise Fruits Off the Ground

Avoid Rootbound Transplants
Use Transplant Foliage to Shade Soil
Allow Corn Suckers to Grow
Encourage Roses Galore
Water Plants Deeply

Growing Your Own Sweet Potatoes

There's still time to plant sweet potato shoots for late-summer harvests of those golden tubers full of sweet nutrients. Mysterious problems may arise, and here are some approaches to preventing them. Problem : Stem rot causes young plants to die...
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Resources

Daylily Show and Sale
Mum Support

Spotting Tomato Hornworms
Spread Mulch Under Berries
Destroy Diseased Leaves
Tip-Prune Bloomers
Pull Weeds Before They Flower

Now's The Time For Heat-Lovers!

May is the ideal month to plant the heat-lovers -- the vegetables and flowers that seem to thrive and bloom more lustily when the weather's hot and sunny. Earlier in spring and later in fall, we coddle them to stretch the seasons, but now is when...
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Sustainable Gardening
Seedling Protection

Fertilize Strawberry Plants
Plant Tender Trees
Fertilize Fruit Trees
Liven Up Shady Areas With Colorful Plants
Choose Drought-Tolerant Shrubs

Water Deeply So Plant Roots Grow Deeply

Early spring is the time to teach plant roots to grow deeply for their life-sustaining water. By consistently providing moist soil deep in their root zones (2 to 12 inches deep), you'll save on time and the amount of water you must give them during...
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Resources

Book Discussion and Signing
Checking Depth of Lawn Watering

Deter Tomato Hornworms
Fertilize Veggies Every Six Weeks
Thin Fruits
Fertilize Roses
Invite Beneficial Insects

Glorious Ground Cover

This brilliant magenta ground cover is an annual two-month-long glory on the hillsides in front of and behind our home. The explosion of color inspires gasps of wonder from visitors and the slowing of cars passing by. The color on the back hillside even...
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Annual Spring Sale
Plastic Jugs Make Hotcaps and Irrigation Funnels

Plant Veggies
Include Herbs
Grow Edible Flowers
Plant Tender Fruit Trees
Mow Lawns Often

Spring Care of Fruit Trees

Early spring care of fruit trees includes planting heat-lovers and not hurrying deciduous ones. Citrus and avocado trees do best when they're planted from late this month through May, as the weather warms up. Choose a southwest exposure that's...
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Resources

38th Annual Green Scene Plant and Garden Show
Removing Transplants

Plant an Array of Lettuces
Transplant Cool-Season Veggies and Bare-Root Fruits
Give Veggies Needed Sun
Fertilize Lawns
Multiplying Perennials

Asparagus, Food of the Gods

Those slender spears are succulent and delicately tasty, certainly welcome after a winter of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce. But some problems may arise, and here are some things to consider for more successful crops over the coming years,...
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Resources

12th Annual Herb Festival
Use Beautiful, Drought-Tolerant Plants

Plant Veggies Indoors and Out
Starting Herbs
Don't Soak Seeds Prior to Sowing
Planting the First Summer Bulbs
Prune and De-Bug Roses

Planting Tomatoes

Betting that the soil will warm quickly as a result of our recent almost-80 air temperatures, you may want to plant some small tomato plants as soon as they're available in the nurseries, just to assure early and strong growth in the garden. For the...
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Resources

Monster Tomato and Pepper Sale
Paint Bucket as Weed Collector

Plant Bulbs for Early Summer Color
Save Gift Amaryllis
Fertilize Landscape Plants
Start Mowing
Finish Heavy Pruning

Southern California Coastal & Inland Valleys Regional Report

Midsummer Watering for Highest Yields

Resources

Reminders

Planting Succession Crops

Resources

Reminders

Early Summer Fruit Tree Care

Resources

Reminders

Keeping Veggies Growing

Resources

Reminders

Growing Your Own Sweet Potatoes

Resources

Reminders

Now's The Time For Heat-Lovers!

Resources

Reminders

Water Deeply So Plant Roots Grow Deeply

Resources

Reminders

Glorious Ground Cover

Resources

Reminders

Spring Care of Fruit Trees

Resources

Reminders

Asparagus, Food of the Gods

Resources

Reminders

Planting Tomatoes

Resources

Reminders